Choreography: William Forsythe
Music: Just Ducky (1992) by Thom Willems
Settings and Light Design: William Forsythe
Costumes: William Forsythe and Gianni Versace
Staging: Kathryn Bennetts
World Premiered by New York City Ballet, Diamond Project, New York State Theater on May 28th, 1992. Premiered by Compañía Nacional de Danza at Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid, November 8th, 1996.
In conversation about Herman Schmerman, Mr. Forsythe has said, "I first heard that phrase ("
Herman Schmerman") used by Steve Martin in the film
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid. I think it's a lovely title that means nothing. The ballet means nothing, either. It's a piece about dancing that will be a lot of fun. It's just five talented dancers dancing around--and that's good, isn't it?" This ballet is Mr. Forsythe´s third work in the repertoire of
Compañía Nacional de Danza and the second with music by composer Thom Willems.
Thom Willems was born in Arnhem,
Netherlands, and studied electronic
and instrumental composition at
the
Royal Conservatory, The Hague.
Mr. Willems has composed works
for European television, radio,
and movies. Mr. Willems' work has
been performed by
The Frankfurt
Ballet,
L'Opéra de Paris,
the San Francisco Ballet, Les Ballets
de Monte Carlo, the Royal Danish
Ballet, and
the Nederlands Dans
Theatre.